


Fence Me In

by babyjae



Category: GOT7
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 11:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5047303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyjae/pseuds/babyjae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new desk boy working at Jackson's fencing school. He's more than a little cute and very Jackson's type.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fence Me In

**Author's Note:**

> x-posted from 7fics! enjoy :~)

A slow, steady buzz cuts through the still morning air and Jackson groans, reaching out from under his covers to switch his alarm off. He knows it’s six a.m., it’s his daily wake up call after all, but he checks the time on his phone anyway—mostly out of habit. He stretches, swinging his legs off the bed and pads into the bathroom. It’s too cold for a shower and he knows he’ll take one by the end of the day so he washes his face and gets dressed, rolling his eyes as he passes Jaebum’s room because despite the closed door, he can hear his loud snoring as he makes his way into the kitchen. Jackson pours himself a cup of coffee and accompanies the drink with a piece of toast before he heads out, ready for a new day.

 

 

Jackson arrives at the fencing school a quarter past seven. Unsurprisingly, no one’s there yet so he opens up and cleans the gym, mopping the sweat stained floor and stacks a few mattresses away. It’s quiet, and Jackson allows himself to bask in the tranquillity until he hears the rush of footsteps. He counts to three under his breath before the door bursts open, Jinyoung striding in with a huff, hair askew and the mountain of papers in his arms threatening to fly away.

“I’m going to kill him,” Jinyoung mutters before Jackson even has the chance to greet a good morning, but, judging from his friend’s state, it probably wasn’t a good idea to begin with. “Lazy ass good for nothing boyfriend who only knows how to sleep and leave me to do  _all_ the work. One day I’m going to leave him, you’ll see.  _You’ll see_!”

“You say that everyday but you always end up crawling back to him anyway,” Jackson murmurs and immediately shields himself when Jinyoung throws him a glare and threatens to hit him.

“You’re no better.  _You_ were supposed to do the admin work, not me. Now I’m left to do  _everything_. I don’t have enough hands, Jackson.”

“Hey, at least I teach. That’s what Jaebum hired me for so that’s what I’m doing.”

Jinyoung rolls his eyes and tosses the load on his arms onto the reception counter, unwinding the scarf around his neck and hangs his coat before he gets straight to work. Jackson feels bad for his friend, he really does, but there’s not much else he can do when he’s teaching kids to fence.

Eight a.m. rolls in and Mark arrives on the dot, yawning and lazily waves in greeting before slipping into the gym to prepare for his lessons. Soon after, the students shuffle in, looking half-dead except for Bambam and Yugyeom, Jackson’s best students, who noisily make their way through the entrance but instantly shut up the moment they see Jinyoung’s slouched form.

“Is it Jaebum-hyung again?” Bambam whispers not-so-quietly and Yugyeom pinches his side when Jinyoung groans.

“None of your business, kid. Go get ready before I make you run laps the entire session,” Jackson threatens and as the two shuffles away, he turns to Jinyoung.

“Hey, Jinyoung.”

“What.”

“Get an assistant.”

Jinyoung’s head snaps up immediately, eyebrows raising so high they nearly disappear behind his hairline. “Wait, am I hearing right? The last time I requested one, you said no because I’m reliable enough or whatever.”

“Well, I change my mind. I trust you enough to pick the right person.”

“Aren’t you going to consult with Jaebum first?”

Jackson shrugs and leaves for his class, but not before saying, “I’m sure he can afford one more person.”

 

 

Jaebum yells at Jackson when he hears the news but at least now he doesn’t have to listen to Jinyoung’s constant grumbling about how useless his boyfriend is. Plus, it’s nicer to see Jinyoung being a little less stressed now that he had someone to help him out. Jackson hadn’t had the chance to meet the new assistant yet what with competitions coming up and him busy training his students but from how much he’s heard Jinyoung gush about him, he can’t help but anticipate their meeting.

Jackson’s running late for one of his practice sessions, having accidentally slept through his alarm, and rushes through the main entrance but instead of going straight to his lesson, he stops by the reception to consult Jinyoung on the new gears he had ordered. He’s about to open his mouth when his eyes fall on a head of blond—who, he’s pretty certain, isn’t Jinyoung—and chooses to stare at him instead.

Blond boy doesn’t seem to notice his presence from the way his eyes are glued to the computer screen in front of him, occasionally fleeting to the logbook sitting by the keyboard as he flicks through it in concentration. His eyebrows are drawn together as he focuses and he chews on his lip and wriggles his nose, appearing to be more doubtful than confident as he types into the computer.

Jackson thinks he’s cute.

He clears his throat to make himself known and when the boy looks up, his eyes widen behind his round glasses and he practically leaps out of his chair, which swivels backwards from the force of his push and he makes a further fool out of himself when he successfully knocks over a cup of stationaries, the logbook that was previously on the table now on the floor, landing square on his foot. “Ouch.”

Scratch that, Jackson thinks he’s  _really_  cute.

“Uhm, are you okay?” Jackson asks in concern but can’t keep the slight amusement out of his voice as he leans over the counter to see the boy grappling at his foot.

He waves a hand in reply and squeaks out an, “I’m okay!” before brushing his jeans and standing up…but not before hitting his head against the table to which he groans out in pain.

Jackson flinches this time and all mirth seeps out of him as he looks on worriedly. “Are you sure? That didn’t sound very pleasant.”

The boy comes into view, rubbing the back of his head and smiles sheepishly, cheeks tinting a light pink as he nods. “Yeah. Just a little clumsy.”

“A little is an understatement,” Jackson laughs softly, still looking a bit unsure. “Positive you don’t need to get that checked?”

“As long as I’m still standing and breathing, I’ll be fine.”

Jackson nods. “I take it that you’re Jinyoung’s assistant then?”

“Ah, yes. Where are my manners?” the boy laughs nervously, holding his hand out which Jackson gladly shakes. “I’m Choi Youngjae.”

“I’m Jack—”

“Jackson Wang, I know. Fencing extraordinaire. Olympic champion twice. Also an ex-gymnast.”

Jackson can’t help but grin, slightly impressed by the knowledge Youngjae had on him. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a big fan of mine,” he jokes.

“I am,” Youngjae replies.

The honesty in Youngjae’s voice throws him a little off balance and for once, Jackson doesn’t know what to say. Youngjae takes his silence the wrong way and quickly adds, “I mean, I followed you a lot. Not in the stalker kind of way, of course. I followed your career a lot, y’know? I watched you on TV and stuff and really admired you and I think I should shut up now before I continue to say anything more stupid and make myself seem like I’m this crazy fanboy and yeah, shut up, Youngjae.”

Jackson’s lips quirk up in a small smile before he chuckles, loud and hearty, and Youngjae’s cheeks colour a deeper red from embarrassment. “I can see why Jinyoung likes you so much. You’re cute. But as much as I’d like to stay here and chat, I’m already running late for a class. I’ll see you around, Choi Youngjae,” he waves, his intentions of why he’d stopped at the reception in the first place already forgotten as he disappears into the gym with Youngjae on his mind.

 

 

After that, Jackson makes a habit of coming through the main entrance and stopping by the reception to offer Youngjae his greetings. This, of course, doesn’t go unnoticed by Jinyoung.

“What?” Jackson asks around a mouthful of chicken sandwich as Jinyoung stares at him calculatingly, nose scrunched up in disgust when some of the breadcrumbs hit his face.

“So…Youngjae, huh?”

“What about him?”

“I didn’t think he was your type.”

Jackson chokes on his lunch and quickly grabs his bottle of water, downing the liquid while he rubs at his chest simultaneously. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he says once he’d calmed down, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“It means you like him,” Bambam chirps as he joins them at the table, sitting on one side of Jackson while Yugyeom occupies the other.

“Huh?”

“C’mon, hyung. There’s no use denying. You used to come in from the back all the time so you wouldn’t have to face Jinyoung-hyung but now you always come through the front door and loiter around the reception just so you could chat up with Youngjae-hyung,” Yugyeom explains and then proceeds to whine pitifully when he opens his lunchbox to see that his mom had packed him fruits and leafy greens again. “Bam, share your lunch with me?”

“No way, you always finish it up!”

“In my defence,” Jackson cuts in, pushing his other half of sandwich to Yugyeom which he gratefully accepts. “I only avoid Jinyoung because he constantly talks about Jaebum. Youngjae, on the other hand, actually talks about things that I’m _interested_ in.”

“Uhuh,” Jinyoung drawls sarcastically. “You must be  _really_ passionate about the law of exponents.” He holds a finger up when Jackson opens his mouth. “Don’t even deny it, I heard you two this morning.”

“Okay, fine,” Jackson grumbles. “I think he’s cute. So what? Doesn’t mean that I _like_ him.”

“Doesn’t mean you like who?” Mark questions, taking a seat next to Jinyoung.

“Youngjae,” three voices say simultaneously and Jackson fights the urge to punch them all.

“Ah.” Mark nods as if the new piece of information wasn’t that much of a surprise to him. “You totally like him.”

“Not you too! I thought we were friends! I feel so betrayed!”

Mark rolls his eyes, already so used to Jackson’s dramatic antics. “You’re giving him the same looks you used to give me when you were crushing on me back in college.”

The table suddenly fills with voices echoing “oooh’s” and “aaah’s” as three pairs of eyes look back and forth between the two friends.

Jackson’s cheeks flush. “You knew about that?”

“ _Everyone_  knew about it. I just didn’t do anything about it because I knew you’d get over it just as quickly,” Mark shrugs casually, popping a grape into his mouth. “But. I think Youngjae might be different.”

“Different how?” Bambam asks.

“I don’t know. He just gives me this vibe that he’ll be good for Jackson.” Mark then turns to his friend. “You should try dating him.”

“But we just met!”

“Has that ever stopped you before?”

 

 

Mark’s words ring in his head for the next few days but Jackson doesn’t take any action. He does his usual duties and greets Youngjae every morning but never stops to ask him on the date that Mark had suggested he do.

Jackson sighs, stops mopping and wipes the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. It was way past teaching hours, the school having closed a few hours prior but Jackson had stayed back to sort out his thoughts and do a bit of cleaning too.

“I don’t like him so why should I take him out on a date?” he mumbles to himself, but then he remembers Youngjae’s sweet laugh that morning after Jackson had cracked a silly joke that wasn’t even that funny to begin with. He smiles. “Okay…maybe I do like him…a little bit.”

Jackson resumes his cleaning duties and promises himself that he’ll ask Youngjae out the following week. He was practicing ways in which he could ask Youngjae, pretending that the mop was the other boy when he hears a low grunt coming from the gym that Mark taught in. He pales. He was pretty certain that everyone else had left before him and, as he checks his watch to see that it was past midnight, he panics even more.

“Ghosts aren’t real, ghosts aren’t real,” Jackson chants to himself as he unwillingly drags himself out of his gym and into the neighbouring one, mop in hand. If worse comes to worse, he  _could_  use it as a weapon but when Jackson peeks in, a sigh of relief escapes him as he catches a glimpse of blond hair.

Youngjae doesn’t seem to notice his presence so he leans his weight against the doorframe, chin on top of the mop handle as he watches Youngjae fence, or at least, attempt to fence, with a small smile gracing his lips.

Jackson can see Youngjae’s passion through the way he moves, albeit a little clumsy and off balance. The way he pants and groans just goes to show that Youngjae didn’t have much stamina and Jackson has to bite back the laughter that threatens to spill from his lips when Youngjae does a little wiggle, looking like he was trying to loosen himself up and not tense too much.

“You’re not bad,” Jackson’s voice booms throughout the otherwise quiet room and the loud shriek that follows after from Youngjae has him doubling over in laughter.

“Hyung!” Youngjae gasps breathlessly, hand clutched to his chest as he glares unthreateningly at Jackson. “You scared me!”

“I’m sorry,” Jackson wheezes in between laughs at the same time as he approaches Youngjae. “I didn’t know you’d scream like a girl.”

Youngjae pouts and the redness on his face isn’t only from the exertion of his exercise anymore. “I don’t scream like a girl,” he mumbles his denials. “What are you still doing here, hyung? I thought you’d left.”

Jackson grins. “ _I_ should be asking  _you_ that. Sometimes I like staying behind to clean and stuff. Plus, Jinyoung’s at our place and I  _really_ don’t want to listen to what he and Jaebum are up to tonight.”

“O-Oh.” Youngjae flushes. “Well, I’m just…uh…practicing.”

“I can see that,” Jackson chuckles. “I didn’t know you fence?”

Youngjae rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, letting out a small laugh. “I don’t. I mean, I was in my college’s fencing club last year but…”

“But?”

“Uh, they told me I wasn’t cut for fencing so I had to drop out.”

Jackson’s mouth turns into a small frown. “And you’re okay with that?”

“Well…yeah.” Youngjae shrugs. “I was pretty bummed out at first but then I got over it. When I look back, I realise that I really  _am_  not suitable for it,” he chuckles. “I still like fencing but I’m happy just watching people by the side lines. That’s why when I saw the flyer advert for the assisting job, I immediately contacted Jinyoung-hyung. Plus, I knew that you were teaching here so I  _might_ have gotten a little excited.”

“Ah, my number one fan,” Jackson smiles, enjoying the way Youngjae’s cheeks dust a little pink. “You know…if you’re up for it, I could teach you how to fence.”

Youngjae’s eyes widen and a big, excited smile breaks out his face but it quickly falters. “B-But I can’t afford your classes,” he says sadly. “I guess I’ll have to pass. Thanks for the offer though, hyung.”

“Silly.” Jackson playfully knocks his knuckles against Youngjae’s forehead and the younger boy whines. “It’s free of charge. But it  _will_  be after working hours. Are you cool with that?”

“You’re seriously doing this for me, hyung?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s not like I have much to do anyway. So are you in?”

Youngjae’s eyes glisten and the smile he offers Jackson is blinding. “Definitely!”

 

 

They make it a habit to stay behind on Thursday and Friday nights, the nightly routines bringing them closer together than before. Bambam and Yugyeom constantly tease Jackson, always making kissy faces whenever he’s by the reception to have a conversation with Youngjae and it’s more than a little annoying but it’s worth seeing the blush on Youngjae’s face (and Jackson punishes them through twice as hard training anyway so it’s all good). Mark asks if he’d asked Youngjae out on that date yet and rolls his eyes when Jackson says no but doesn’t push him any further. He knows Jackson’s taking things slow, wanting to become friends with Youngjae first, using the excuse of “what if he doesn’t like me?” even though it was plain as daylight that the younger boy  _more than_ _admired_  Jackson. As for Jinyoung…he seems to have become just as lazy as Jaebum now that Youngjae was around to do his work.

“How many times do I have to correct your stance?” Jackson chides, lightly hitting the back of Youngjae’s thigh with a fencing sword. “You’re bending your knees too much and don’t hunch, keep your back straight.”

Youngjae fixes his posture, sweat breaking out from his forehead as he feels the pressure on his thighs. He finds out that Jackson as a teacher was completely different to Jackson as a friend. He’s much harsher and is all business, a hundred percent serious with no joking about. “I-Is this better, hyung?”

Jackson sighs, gently setting his sword on the floor before he comes up close behind Youngjae. He places his hands on Youngjae’s hips and twists it slightly, pressing his chest tight against his back and knocks the back of Youngjae’s legs with his knees lightly to align him into place. “Your feet should only be as far apart as your shoulders are,” he says and then pushes the younger boy’s hips down before running a hand down his back. “Squat a bit, but don’t bend.”

Youngjae nods, hyperaware of Jackson’s closeness and the warmth of his palm as it settles on the small of his back. Jackson continues to voice out his instructions but when Youngjae feels his breath fanning against his neck, he can’t contain the shiver that shakes his body.

Jackson notices this and stops. “Is something wrong, Youngjae?”

Youngjae shakes his head and flounders, turning his head to tell Jackson to keep going except when he does so, their noses bump, and that’s when Jackson realises just how close they really were.

His eyes widen and he takes a step back but his hand remains pressed against Youngjae’s body. “S-Sorry, I didn’t—Uhm, we should take a break.”

“O-Okay,” Youngjae agrees and tries to keep the disappointment away from his face when Jackson draws back his hand. He settles on the floor and crosses his legs, Jackson following suit.

After that, things get a little awkward. The air between them is thick and stiff much to their discomfort. Jackson shifts and not being able to bear it much longer, opens his mouth…just as Youngjae opens his.

“Hyung—”

“I kind of like you.”

“What?”

“What.”

“W-What,” Youngjae stutters. “What did you just say?”

“I…uhm…sort of…like you,” Jackson confesses.

“Like…like  _like_?” Youngjae asks carefully.

“Y-Yeah, I mean, it’s fine if you don’t feel the same way! I just thought I’d put it out there and…yeah.”

Youngjae blushes crimson, the red reaching the tips of his ears. “Are you  _kidding_ me? I’ve always liked you. I mean, before it was more like admiring you but then we became friends and you were a much more cooler person than I thought you would be and I guess,” he takes a deep breath, then smiles shyly. “I guess…what I’m trying to say is that I like you too.”

Jackson feels his own cheeks heating up and he thinks it’s absolutely  _ridiculous_ because he was a grown man for goodness’s sake. It doesn’t stop him from beaming though. “So would you like to, I don’t know, go out on a date sometime?”

“I don’t have any plans tomorrow?” Youngjae says but it comes out more as a question than a statement, as if he wasn’t sure if tomorrow would be okay or too soon. “Does that sound okay?”

Jackson smiles. “Sounds perfect.”

 

 

Jackson meets Youngjae outside the fencing school at seven p.m. sharp, the younger boy already there and seemingly nervous as he fidgets in place, blowing heat into his rubbing hands to keep warm. He’s dressed casually just as Jackson had told him to, black hoodie paired with tight black jeans, contrasting red shoes and finished off with a snapback tilted sideways, glasses nowhere in sight. Jackson thinks he looks extremely cute.

“Hey,” he greets, offering Youngjae a warm smile to which the younger returns. “Sorry, did you wait long?”

Youngjae shakes his head. “Not really. Maybe. I think I got a little too eager,” he chuckles, shivering as a gust of wind blows by and Jackson takes it as cue to get going. He easily grabs Youngjae’s hand and entwines their fingers together, shoving their hands into the pocket of his own sweatshirt as he notes how frozen cold Youngjae actually is. Youngjae blushes. “H-Hyung, you don’t have to.”

“I want to,” Jackson grins as he walks them to the destination of their date.

“So where are you taking me exactly?” Youngjae questions, falling into step with Jackson.

Jackson lets out a nervous laugh. “I’m not entirely sure if you’ll like it. But I figured we should give it a go. We’re going bowling.”

“You really can’t keep away from sports, can you?” Youngjae shakes his head in amusement. “It sounds like fun, though! I’m excited.”

Jackson smiles and they walk the rest of the way in companionable silence. Once they arrive, Jackson immediately whisks Youngjae inside, glad for the warmth the bowling centre has to offer. They trade their shoes for more appropriate ones and walk off to their assigned lane.

“Do you wanna go first?” Jackson asks, weighing each coloured balls in his hands to see which fit him most.

“No, you can go ahead, hyung. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do so you can show me?”

Jackson nods and gets into position once he finds the right ball. He swings his arm backwards before tossing it onto the hardwood floor and watches as it rolls and knocks all the pins down. “Strike!” he whoops, turning around to flex his arms and kiss his biceps, much to Youngjae’s amusement.

“You’re ridiculous, hyung,” Youngjae laughs and gets up for his turn. He picks a lighter ball, and, to the best of his ability, mimics Jackson’s moves, only for the ball to end up rolling in the gutter. Twice.

Jackson purses his lips to keep himself from laughing and the pout that he receives from Youngjae only softens his heart further. “We still have a lot turns. Try your best, okay? I’m sure you’ll improve with time!”

Except, that’s the last thing that happens. They’re almost at the end of their game with Jackson leading by a too-large-number-for-Youngjae-to-catch-up-on and Youngjae still has no clue how to bowl. He’d tried different techniques: squatting down and rolling it forward, throwing it with all force he could master. He even tried pushing it with his foot only to have one pin knocked down. Of course, this wasn’t a competition so Youngjae took it light-heartedly, laughing every time he failed but didn’t hide in showing his frustrations by hiding behind and “kicking” a nearby pillar, tossing his snapback and lying on the floor, kicking his legs like a 3 year-old throwing a tantrum.

Jackson found all of this endearing, unsurprisingly, and finds himself liking Youngjae more than he initially thought he had. It was cute (he really needs to find a different word to describe Youngjae, he thinks) and he was truly enjoying the younger boy’s company.

“How about I help you out with the last round?” Jackson offers with a grin that Youngjae just couldn’t refuse.

“Sure, hyung. Let’s see if we can get my score up to at least double digits,” he snorts.

“Confidence is the key to success, Youngjae-ah,” Jackson chuckles and steps behind the younger boy, just like he had done the previous night, and runs his fingers along the length of Youngjae’s arms before placing his hands on top of Youngjae’s. “Is this okay?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper but it doesn’t stop the shiver from jolting down his spine.

“Y-Yeah,” Youngjae nods, thinking that he might as well enjoy the moment and leans back against Jackson comfortably as he guides Youngjae through the steps properly but Youngjae’s so distracted by Jackson’s warmth and his scent that he ends up releasing the ball too early and missing all the pins. Jackson is announced the winner and the lane darkens to show the end of their game.

“Oops?” Youngjae smiles sheepishly and Jackson pinches his cheeks.

“You’re hopeless,” he laughs lightly and gives Youngjae a little space but doesn’t release his hold on him, wrapping his arm around the younger boy’s waist. “Let’s head to the next part of our date. Are you hungry?”

“Extremely,” Youngjae answers.

“Good, because I’m starving.”

 

 

Jackson doesn’t take Youngjae to a fancy restaurant but he isn’t really bothered. It’s a small diner but it’s cosy, and Youngjae’s grateful for the minimal amount of people as he slides into a booth with Jackson opposite him, the two falling into conversation easily. They’re much more comfortable with each other now, Jackson openly flirting with Youngjae and making little quips here and there which Youngjae replies with just as much wit albeit a little flustered. They share their food with each other, Jackson being the first to feed Youngjae with a “taste this it’s really good!” and by the time dessert rolls around and them having more than a little to drink, Jackson even goes as far as playing footsie with Youngjae underneath the table.

So it isn’t really much of a surprise when Youngjae finds himself trapped between Jackson and the wall of his small apartment, thighs wrapped tightly around Jackson’s waist as the older man nips at his lips, slowly working his mouth open before sliding his tongue in for a taste. Youngjae shamelessly keens, fingers threading through Jackson’s locks and pulls him even closer, the two devouring each other like they hadn’t just had dinner an hour prior. Jackson’s hand slips beneath Youngjae’s hoodie and he relishes in the way the younger boy shivers as he explores his skin, eagerly mapping out the lines and curves of his body while his mouth works wonders against the other’s lips—it doesn’t last long though because as soon as Jackson bucks his hips forward, Youngjae pulls away, head hitting against the wall, a loud moan tearing from his throat. “Oh my  _God_.”  

“Not God, just Jackson,” Jackson chuckles deeply, taking the opportunity to latch his lips onto Youngjae’s exposed neck and suck a bruise into the skin there.

“Well, well, look at what we have here.”

As soon as another voice, that Jackson recognises  _well enough_ , filters in, he growls, reluctantly pulling away from Youngjae to look over his shoulder. “What do you want,  _Jaebum_?”

“Jaebum?” Youngjae mutters breathlessly, trying to wrack through his lust filled mind to try and figure out  _why_  he’d recognised the name. When he finally realises, his eyes widen and he quickly pushes off Jackson to settle, wobbly, on his feet, hands hurriedly tidying his messy hair. “B-Boss.”

Jaebum grins, arms crossed over his chest as he casually leans against his bedroom doorframe like he hadn’t just caught his housemate sucking face with his new employee. “I take it that you’re Choi Youngjae. It’s nice to finally meet you. Jinyoung was right, you really  _are_ cute now wonder Jackson likes you so much.”

Youngjae, almost literally, blushes from head to toe, discreetly shifting to hide behind Jackson. “S-Sorry you had to meet me under…unfavourable circumstances.”

Jackson clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes, completely annoyed now that Jaebum had ruined the mood. “Don’t be sorry. Thanks a lot, you dick,” he snarls, glaring at his friend who only cackles in response before grabbing Youngjae’s wrist and drags him into his room.

“That’s what you get for fucking around in the living room!”

“Asshole,” Jackson mumbles underneath his breath and turns to his date. “Sorry about that, Jaebum can be really irritating sometimes.”

Youngjae shakes his head, laughing softly. “It’s okay.”

Awkward silence falls between them now that the lust had completely gone. Jackson shifts between his feet, trying to find things to say but Youngjae beats him to it.

“Uhm, I should…I should go.”

“No!” Jackson says almost immediately. He clears his throat and scratches at his cheek nervously. “S-Stay. It’s already late.”

“But, hyung…”

“Please?” Jackson pleads, holding onto Youngjae’s hand as he gives him his best puppy look.

Unable to resist, Youngjae sighs in defeat. “Okay.”

Jackson beams before pulling Youngjae towards his bed, slipping under the covers and spoons the younger boy in his arms. Youngjae smiles, cuddling close to him.

“Did you enjoy today’s date?” Jackson asks.

“You mean despite the fact that I probably made a  _terrible_ first impression on my boss?” Youngjae replies, turning to face Jackson with a small laugh. “I had a great time. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you did,” Jackson smiles, leaning forward to gently peck Youngjae’s lips. “Next time, I promise it won’t end so horribly.”

“Who said there’ll be a next time?” Youngjae teases with a grin.

Jackson feigns a look of surprise, gasping dramatically as his hand falls over his chest. “Choi Youngjae, are you rejecting me?”

Youngjae giggles and nuzzles his nose against Jackson’s cheek. “I could never,” he whispers.

Jackson wraps his arm around the other’s waist. “Good.”

“At least, not until you finish off what you started earlier soon.”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Jackson groans and tackles Youngjae into a tickle fight, the two of them spending the rest of the night happy to be in each other’s company.

 

 

“I think you’re ready,” Jackson announces as he finishes reviewing Youngjae’s stances, movements and techniques. “To fence against me. Do you wanna give it a go?”

Youngjae peels off the fencing mask over his head and shakes his sweaty bangs away, lips curling unsurely. “I don’t know, hyung…I’m still learning. What if I hurt you in the process?”

Jackson snorts. “I doubt it. C’mon, let’s try.”

After much deliberation on Youngjae’s behalf and persuading on Jackson, the younger boy finally gives in. Jackson skips off to grab his gear and once he’s fully armed and ready, he stands opposite of Youngjae, sword held high.

“Go easy on me, hyung.”

“I will,” Jackson laughs. “Just remember what I taught you. Try not to think too much and shake the nervousness away.”

Youngjae grumbles. “Easy for you to say, you’re the professional.”

Behind his mask, Jackson grins. “And start!”

“Wha—” Youngjae squeaks. He barely has the time to prepare himself before Jackson comes lunging forward and attacks him square on the stomach, earning him the first point. “That’s not fair, I wasn’t ready!”

“Gotta be fast on your feet, ‘Jae.”

Youngjae growls and a determined looks settles on his face as they begin the next round. He’s a little quicker this time but of course, he can’t really compete against the experience that Jackson has. Plus, he’s still quite clumsy on his feet so he finds himself tripping more than once, giving Jackson the advantage to charge at him. The older man easily wins the next few games, and it ends with 11 to 4. As soon as it’s over, Youngjae topples onto the floor, Jackson following suit, their chests rising and falling from the strain of the exercise.

“All the points you gained were from chasing me off the strip. I can’t believe you were too scared to hit me.”

“I told you, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Jackson rolls onto Youngjae and presses their sweaty foreheads together, chuckling when the younger boy’s nose wiggles in distaste. “I didn’t know you viewed me as such a delicate little flower.”

Youngjae laughs softly and pinches Jackson’s cheeks. “You’re anything but. I just remembered your…” he trails off, smile suddenly faltering. “Never mind.”

“My injury?”

Youngjae nods meekly.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Jackson pushes off Youngjae and snuggles close by his side, absent-mindedly scratching at his knee. “It happened five years ago, though.”

“But it doesn’t lessen the sting, right? I mean…it did cost you your career,” Youngjae mumbles quietly, propping his head onto Jackson’s chest as his arm circles around the other’s waist.

Jackson hums. “I didn’t exactly tell the media everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“After my injury, I went to therapy. It was hard and painful as hell, they had very little hopes that I could recover but after a good year and a half, I healed. The doctor gave me the green light to go back to fencing as long as I worked my way back up slowly but I was scared. What if it happened again? What if it was twice as worse? I didn’t exactly want to give up fencing  _completely_ so I had a talk with my dad and well…here I am now.”

“Do you regret it, though?” Youngjae asks softly. “If you went back, you could have at least gained a few more trophies by now.”

“I think about it sometimes,” Jackson admits. “But I wouldn’t say I regretted my decision. Plus, if I didn’t become a training coach I wouldn’t have met you, would I?” he grins.

Youngjae smiles, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he hits Jackson’s chest gently. “That’s true. I’d probably be behind the TV cheering you on while I watch a match of yours right now. Or maybe I’d be in the audience yelling your name.”

“And I wouldn’t get to hear your sweet voice as you do so,” Jackson mock pouts, tumbling on top of the younger boy again before his expression turns into one of mischievousness, lips curling into a grin. “But now I do and I’m going to make the most of it.”

“What, hyung—” Youngjae starts but his words gets muffled into a moan as Jackson’s fingers fleet over his skin and kisses him senseless.

_Two years later_

“Yugyeom, Bambam, I swear to God, if you don’t stop playing around and actually start helping us, I’m going to make you suffer all week long,” Jackson huffs, adjusting the heavy box in his arms as he walks into his new apartment before setting it down on the floor of the living room.

“Chill, man,” Mark says, watching the youngest two with a fond smile as they play spar at the balcony, ripping open a few boxes to help Jackson and Youngjae decorate their own place. “They just won their first championship. Let them have a little fun.”

Youngjae comes waddling in, hidden behind a stack of boxes and about to topple over if not for Jaebum’s quick reflexes. He flashes the older man a thankful smile and wipes his gloved hands on his dusty pants. “Yeah, hyung.  Besides, we’ve done unloading everything. Now we’re just left with unboxing them.”

“I can’t believe you two are actually moving in together,” Jinyoung voices somewhere from the kitchen before he comes out with a plate of kimbap. “They grow up so fast, don’t they, Jaebum?”

“And I can’t believe you two actually settled down,” Jackson snorts, referring to the silver bands around Jaebum and Jinyoung’s fingers, opening his mouth widely when Youngjae pokes a piece of the food against his mouth. “I would’ve thought that Jinyoung would kill you first before you even made it to the altar.”

“Well, he didn’t. And it’s all thanks to Youngjae here,” Jaebum grins, wrapping an arm around the younger boy’s shoulder, purposely ignoring Jackson’s warning of, “Hey, hands off my man.” “If you didn’t come into our lives, who knows how long Jackson here would’ve stayed a bitter existence of a human being constantly jealous of mine and Jinyoung’s relationship.”

Mark and Jinyoung topple over each other laughing and Youngjae can help but giggle too as Jackson charges forward and tackles Jaebum down onto the floor into a wrestling match. Yugyeom and Bambam, who sees this fight, comes in cheering before they throw themselves on top of the pile. It ends up lasting more than a few minutes, only ending when Jinyoung claps his hands and tells everyone to get back to work.

They work with the living room first before moving on to the kitchen, the bedrooms and the bathroom. The last room they enter is a makeshift gym, one Jackson had insisted on having so he and Youngjae could continue fencing in their own free time.

“I’m surprised that Youngjae actually agreed to this.”

“Hey, we need somewhere to fence.”

“To fence or to fuck?”

Jackson ends up tackling Jaebum once again.


End file.
